Teaching Geoethics at Universidad de Chile: Impacts Within and Beyond the Classroom
Abstract
Ethical formation of students at Universidad de Chile is a relevant competency that is being incorporated in the profile of its graduates and in the curricular programs of all its majors. At the same time, students demand more courses or instances of reflection about professional ethics. The course "Geoethics" of the Geology major, was designed to offer an experience of continuous reflection about the social role of the geoscientist and constructive learning of the basic concepts of ethics and profession, as well as the criteria of ethical judgment included in the codes of professional ethics. This course was implemented, in the spring semester of 2016 being highly evaluated by the students. The most valued aspects were its constructivist approach towards knowledge, and the instance of a significant learning space and horizontal participation between professors, expert guests and students. By exanimating texts, videos, interviews, forums and essays, the students built the concept of geoethics and geoethical criteria, and reflect on the role of the geoscientist in Chilean society. These strategies used during the course, along with the introduction of basic concepts to the students, can be a useful teaching model to other majors taught in the university, and even open the possibility to create a multi-disciplinary course for students, which could enrich the discussion about responsibility and aims of professionals in Chilean society. Likewise, the learning strategies used in the course are transferable to other courses of the geoscience majors of other Chilean universities. From this experience, we created a teaching model that can be used in higher education. The Chilean Geological Society has found this course an excellent mean to start the imperative task to introduce, early in the geoscience careers, the debates related with the practice in science, in public/private institutions, and in academy to future geoscientists. The Chilean Geological Society is organizing the first Geoethics workshop to be held in Chile to delineate a new ethical code in accordance to the present challenges of our society, and to be part of the world vision on geoethics to address global issues in topics as sustainable development and gender equality, among others.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMED13D0781V
- Keywords:
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- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATIONDE: 6630 Workforce;
- PUBLIC ISSUES